Gate structure, semiconductor device and the method of forming semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

A gate structure, a semiconductor device, and the method of forming a semiconductor device are provided. In various embodiments, the gate structure includes a gate stack and a doped spacer overlying a sidewall of the gate stack. The gate stack contains a doped work function metal (WFM) stack and a metal gate electrode overlying the doped WFM stack.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/243,941, filed Oct. 20, 2015, which is herein incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor industry has undergone exponential growth, constantlyprogressing in the aim of higher density, device performance and lowercosts. Apart from the classical planar transistor such as ametal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), variousnon-planar transistors or three-dimensional (3D), such as a fin-likefield-effect transistor (FinFET), have been developed to achieve evenhigher device density as well as to optimize the device efficacy. Thefabrication of both planar and 3D FETs is focused on dimension scalingdown to increase the packing density of the semiconductor device.

With increasing demands for high-density integration of the planar and3D FETs, the fabricating method of FinFETs is in great need to becontinuously refined so as to attain a more enhanced semiconductorstructure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another semiconductor device inaccordance with some other embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of yet another semiconductor device inaccordance with yet some other embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of forming a semiconductor device, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5A through 5F are cross-sectional views at various stages of amethod for forming a semiconductor device in accordance with someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are describedbelow to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merelyexamples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formationof a first feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

The singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise. Therefore, reference to, forexample, a topography region includes aspects having two or more suchtopography regions, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

Although the present disclosure is explained by references of theformation of a semiconductor structure, it will be appreciated that itis equally applicable to any manufacturing process where thesemiconductor structure can be advantageously formed.

As aforementioned, it is becoming more challenging for manufacturing agate structure in a MOSFET or FinFET with the scaling down ofdimensions. In the process of forming a gate structure, the first stepis to form a dummy gate usually made of polysilicon, followed by theformation of a pair of spacers overlying the sidewalls of the dummygate. Afterwards, the dummy gate is removed to leave a space andfacilitate the filling of an electrode, a work function metal (WFM)stack, and an underlying gate oxide layer to be filled into the spaceand form the gate structure.

However, as the dimensions of the MOSFET or FinFET are scaled down, thewidth of the gate stack, or the distance between the spacers, iscontinually declining, which not only makes it difficult to fill gatematerials into the space between the spacers through a gate-fillingwindow after the dummy gate is removed, but also casts negative effectson the performance of the MOSFET or FinFET. Due to the narrowed width ofthe gate stack, the junction between the source and the drain region isalso shortened. The shortened junction gives rise to shortened electronchannels.

The shortened channel results in finite sub-threshold slope, affectingthe threshold voltage and thus the tunneling of electrons from thesource to the drain region when the voltage gap between the source andthe drain becomes significant. In other words, off-state leakagecurrents from the drain to the source region increases, which is alsoreferred to as the drain induction barrier lower (DIBL).

Apart from DIBL, short channel also induces the short circuit betweenthe metal gate and the source/drain region, also contributing to leakedcurrents. The above influences of the short channel can be collectivelycalled the short channel effect (SCE), which is a major issue concerningthe performance of the semiconductor device.

While raising the source/drain (S/D) region by selective epitaxialsilicon growth (SEG) can reduce the current leakage, other shortcomingssuch as the resistance of the S/D region remains. Whereas doping of theS/D region can improve the drawbacks, the thermal process required indoping S/D regions undesirably increases the lateral diffusion ofdopants, thereby increasing the gate to drain overlap capacitance. Also,to compensate for the dopant loss in the S/D region owing to the thermalprocess, higher implantation dosage in the S/D region can be adopted.Nonetheless, the increased concentration of dopants in the S/D regionnot only brings about deeper S/D junction depth (X_(j)). The deeper thejunction depth, the more significant the short channel effect.

While the formation of ultra-shallow junctions (USJ) can counter theeffect of increasing junction depth, higher dopant implantconcentrations are required to avoid an increase in parasiticresistances at shallower junction depths. The dopant implantationrequired to form the ultra-shallow junctions is difficult, and causesdamage to the substrate by forming amorphous or disordered latticeregions, rendering the problem unsolved. Therefore, it is of greatnecessity to continually improve the method for manufacturing a MOSFETor FinFET with scaled down dimensions to overcome the short channeleffect.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosureprovides a gate structure, a semiconductor device and a method forforming the semiconductor device, which includes a doped spacer and adoped oxide layer to conquer the short channel effect in MOSFETs orFinFETs. In this way, despite the scaling down of MOSFET or FinFETdimensions, the packing density and performance of semiconductor devicescan be improved.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is an illustrated cross sectional viewof schematic area arrangement of a semiconductor device 100 inaccordance with some embodiments. The semiconductor device 100, alsoreferred to as a field-effect transistor (FET) in some embodiments,includes a gate structure 200.

In various embodiments, the gate structure 200 includes a gate stack 210and a spacer 220′ overlying a sidewall of the gate stack 210. The gatestack 210 may include a gate electrode, a work function metal (WFM)stack 212′ underlying the gate electrode, and a gate oxide layer 215′underlying the work function metal (WFM) stack 212′. In someembodiments, the gate stack 210 can be formed via any appropriatemethods, which includes deposition, photolithography patterning, andetching. The deposition methods include chemical vapor deposition (CVD),physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and thecombinations thereof.

In various embodiments, a current can be exerted onto the gateelectrode. Once an input current from the gate electrode reach athreshold voltage (V_(t)), negative charges may accumulate accordinglybeneath the gate oxide layer 215′, and an electron channel between asource region 110 and a drain region 111, also referred to as thesource/drain (S/D) region, can be induced beneath the gate structure200.

In some embodiments, the threshold voltage of the gate structure 200 ismainly determined by the work function metal (WFM) stack 212′. The workfunction indicates the minimal thermodynamic work or energy to remove anelectron from a solid surface to a close position under the influence ofthe adjacent electric fields. Thus, the work function metal stack 212′modulates the threshold voltage tuning by affecting the free energy ofelectrons underlying the gate stack 210.

In some embodiments, the gate electrode may be initially formed ofpolycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) or poly-crystalline silicon germanium(poly-SiGe). However, threshold voltage instability and leakage currentscan be induced if the poly-Si gate electrode is combined with the gateoxide made of silicon dioxide (SiO₂). Thus, the gate electrode mayeventually be replaced by a metal material to improve threshold voltagemodulation and semiconductor device performance. In various embodiments,the materials for the metal gate electrode 216 include tantalum (Ta),tantalum nitride (TaN), niobium (Nb), tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalumcarbide (TaC), tungsten (W), tungsten nitride (WN), tungsten carbide(WC), and any suitable metals or combinations thereof.

In addition, to fully conquer the above issue, the introduction of metalgate electrodes 216 would need to be accompanied by simultaneousintroduction of the gate oxide layer 215′ with high dielectric constant(high K). In various embodiments, oxides such as lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃)is appropriate for a N-type FET (nFET) since lanthanum (La) is stronglyelectro-positive metals. On the other hand, aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) isappropriate for a P-type FET (pFET) due to the ability to prevent theextrinsic work function shifts. Generally, the gate oxide layer 215′ canbe made of dielectric materials such as aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃),lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), titanium oxide (TiO₂),hafnium oxide (HfO₂), silicon dioxide (SiO₂), hafnium silicon oxide(HfSiO), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), and any suitable metals or acombination thereof.

Due to the shift from the low-k/poly-Si gate to the high-k/metal gate,the work function metal stack 212′ needs to be modified accordingly tomeet the threshold voltage requirements of the gate structure 200. Withan upper mid-gap work function, highlighted thermal stability, anddistinct diffusion features, titanium nitride (TiN) serves as a suitablecandidate for the WFM. Modification of the work function of TiN toobtain the desirable effective work function (EWF) is pivotal for gatestack enhancement of two-dimensional MOSFETs and three-dimensionalFinFETs. Besides increasing the thickness of the TiN layer to elevatethe EWF in the WFM stack, introducing another layer of high-k workfunction metal such as a titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN) layer, canfurther fine-tune the EWF.

Hence, in various embodiments, the WFM stack 212′ includes a TiN layer213′ and a TiSiN layer 214′ underlying the TiN layer 213′. The TiSiNlayer 214′ can function in coordination with the underlying gate oxidelayer 215′ to improve the performance of the gate structure 200, sinceboth the TiSiN layer 214′ and the gate oxide layer 215′ are amorphouswith a high dielectric constant, usually higher than the dielectricconstant of silicon dioxide, or 3.9.

In terms of a long-channel transistor, the threshold voltage isdetermined by the charge conservation applied to the channel between thesource/drain regions and characteristics of the work function metals(WFM) including the TiN layer and the TiSiN layer. Whereas, with thescaling down of semiconductor devices, there is a constant decrease inthe width of the gate structure 200 and the thickness of the gate oxidelayer 215′, along with closer junctions between the S/D regions,resulting in short-channel transistors. In terms of the short-channeltransistors, a roll-off in threshold voltage occurs as the channellength is reduced, and thus the threshold voltage is not only affectedby the WFM stack 212′, but also affected by the closer junctions.

To offset the short channel effect (SCE) and hot carrier effect (HCE) inshort-channel transistors, a portion of the S/D region underlying thegate structure 200 is lightly doped, forming a lightly-dopeddrain/source (LDD) region 112, also referred to as the source/drainextension (SDE) region. However, merely doping the LDD region 112manifests limited influences on countering the SCE, and even morelimited effect on control of threshold voltage in short channel devices.

Modulation of the threshold voltage is further improved by doping theWFM stack 212′. For a N-type transistor (nFET), if the TiSiN layer 214′and the TiN layer 213′ in the WFM stack 212′ are doped by N-typedopants, the threshold voltage can be lowered. In contrast, if the TiSiNlayer 214′ and the TiN layer 213′ in the WFM stack 212′ are doped byP-type dopants, the threshold voltage can be elevated. For a P-typetransistor (pFET), the modulation of the threshold voltage is reversed.To achieve the doping of the WFM stack 212′, extra layers are requiredto serve as the dopant donors in the gate structure 200.

In accordance with various embodiments, a spacer 220′ overlying asidewall of the gate structure 200 is formed. A high concentration ofthe dopant is sealed in the spacer 220′ to form a doped spacer 220,serving as a dopant donor to the WFM stack 212′. If the gate stack 210and a substrate 102 underlying the gate stack 210 form a N-typetransistor, the doped spacer 220 is doped with boron (B) or other P-typedopants to increase the threshold voltage and diminish leakage currentsfrom SCE. If the gate stack 210 and a substrate 102 underlying the gatestack 210 forms a P-type transistor, the doped spacer 220 is doped witharsenic (As) or other N-type dopants to raise the threshold voltage andoffset leakage currents from SCE.

The doping concentration of the doped spacer 220 is about 5×10²⁰atoms/cm³ to about 5×10²¹ atoms/cm³ to provide sufficient dopants intothe WFM stack 212′. In some embodiments, the doped spacer 220 is made ofdielectric materials including silicon nitride (SiN), silicon oxynitride(SiON), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon oxycarbide (SiOC), silicon carbonoxynitride (SiCON), silicon oxyfluoride (SiOF), or a combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, the solid-phase diffusion (SFD) of dopants from thedoped spacer 220 to the WFM stack 212′ is facilitated by a set ofthermal processes, giving rise to the doped work function metal (WFM)stack 212 including the doped TiSiN layer 214 and the doped TiN layer213 and the doped gate oxide layer 215. Since the dopant in the dopedWFM stack 212 is the same as in the doped oxide layer 300 and in thedoped spacer 220, the dopant is boron in a NMOS and a N-type FinFET,while the dopant is arsenic in a PMOS and a P-type FinFET. In someembodiments, the doped WFM stack 212 is doped at a concentration lowerthan the concentration of the doped spacer 220, or lower than about5×10²⁰ atoms/cm³ to about 5×10²¹ atoms/cm³ due to diffusion gradient.

The solid-phase diffusion (SFD) of dopants from the doped spacer 220into the WFM stack can occur in different types of FET depending on theprofile of the substrate 102 underlying the gate stack 210. In someembodiments, the substrate 102 contains a source region 110 and a drainregion 111, which can be collectively called the source/drain (S/D)regions. The substrate 102 may be embedded in a basal layer (not shown),and the gate stack 210 may thus lie over the basal layer and a topsurface of the substrate 102 between the source region 110 and a drainregion 111, which forms a planar integrated circuit structure, alsoreferred to as a MOSFET.

In some other embodiments, the substrate 102 with the source region 110and the drain region 111 is a raised region overlying the basal layer,forming a three-dimensional fin structure. The gate stack 210 lies overthe basal layer and one or more raised fin structures, forming athree-dimensional integrated circuit structure, also referred to as aFinFET.

In some embodiments, the material of the substrate 102 includes silicon,silicon germanium, silicon carbide, gallium arsenic, gallium phosphide,indium phosphide, indium arsenide, indium antimonide, an alloysemiconductor including SiGe, GaAsP, AlInAs, AlGaAs, GaInAs, GaInP,GaInAsP, or combinations thereof. In various embodiments, different setsof S/D regions can be isolated by a shallow trench isolation (STI)region adjacent to the S/D regions. The STI region may be made up of adielectric material, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, fluoride-doped silicate glass, and combinations thereof.

The substrate 102 may be fabricated by any suitable processes, such asphotolithography and etching. The photolithography may include forming aphotoresist layer (not shown) over the substrate 102 (e.g., spin-oncoating), soft baking, mask aligning, patterning the photoresist layerby exposure, operating post-exposure baking, and developing the patternto form a photoresist mask used as a protection of the substrate whileetching is performed to form the substrate 102.

To further encompass the WFM stack 212′, an oxide layer 300′ may beformed on the substrate 102 to cover exposed surface of the substrate102 in some embodiments. In other words, the oxide layer 300′ is formedon the surface of the substrate 102 encompassing the gate stack 210, orthe surface of the substrate 102 not in contact with the gate stack 210.To also serve as a dopant donor to the WFM stack 212′, the oxide layer300′ is also doped with a high concentration of dopants to form a dopedoxide layer 300. When the gate stack 210 and a substrate 102 underlyingthe gate stack 210 forms a nFET, such as a N-type MOSFET (NMOS) or aN-type FinFET, the doped oxide layer 300 is doped with boron (B) orother P-type dopants. When the gate stack 210 and a substrate 102underlying the gate stack 210 forms a pFET, such as a P-type MOSFET(PMOS) or a P-type FinFET, the doped oxide layer 300 is doped witharsenic (As) or other N-type dopants.

The doping concentration of the doped oxide layer 300 is about 5×10²⁰atoms/cm³ to about 5×10²¹ atoms/cm³ to provide sufficient dopants intothe WFM stack 212′ and contribute to the formation of the doped WFMstack 212. In some embodiments, the doped oxide layer 300 is made ofdielectric materials such as aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), lanthanum oxide(La₂O₃), lanthanum aluminum oxide (AlLaO₃), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅),titanium oxide (TiO₂), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), silicon dioxide (SiO₂),hafnium silicon oxide (HfSiO), and zirconium oxide (ZrO₂).

Referring next to FIG. 2, there is a cross-sectional view of anothersemiconductor device in accordance with some embodiments. The substrate102 contains the source region 110, the drain region 111, a set of theLDD regions 112, and a set of the STI regions 104. In some embodiments,the gate structure 200 overlies the substrate 102 between the sourceregion 110 and the drain region 111. To be more specific, the gatestructure 200 overlies the substrate 102 between two LDD regions 112.The doped oxide layer 300 is formed on the substrate 102 encompassingthe gate structure 200, more specifically between two STI regions 104.

In various embodiments, the gate stack 210 includes a metal gateelectrode 216, a doped work function metal (WFM) stack 212 underlyingthe metal gate electrode 216, and a doped gate oxide layer 215underlying the doped work function metal (WFM) stack 212. In someembodiments, the doped spacer 220 overlies only the sidewall of the gatestack 210 and a portion of the doped oxide layer 300 adjacent to thesidewall of the gate stack 210. Since both the doped oxide layer 300 andthe doped spacer 220 can serve as the dopant donor, and the portion ofthe doped spacer 220 overlying the sidewall of the gate structure 200and the doped oxide layer 300 can fully cover the WFM stack 212′, theportion of the doped spacer 220 overlying the doped oxide layer 300becomes optional because it is not in direct contact with the WFM stack212′. In other words, in some embodiments, the doped oxide layer 300 isnot covered by the doped spacer 220 except for that of the doped oxidelayer 300 adjacent to the gate stack 210. To put it differently, thedoped spacer 220 includes a portion overlying a sidewall of the gatestack 210 and the doped oxide layer 300 adjacent to the gate stack 210,and a portion overlying the doped oxide layer 300 not adjacent to thegate stack 210. Since the portion of the doped spacer 220 overlying thedoped oxide layer 300 not adjacent to the gate stack 210 is not incontact with the WFM stack 212′, the portion cannot serve as the dopantdonor, and thus the portion is optional. In various embodiments, thedoped oxide layer 300 adjacent to the gate stack 210 overlies the LDDregion 112, while the doped oxide layer 300 not adjacent to the gatestack 210 overlies the S/D region and the STI region 104.

With Reference to FIG. 3, there is a cross-sectional view of yet anothersemiconductor device in accordance with some embodiments. The substrate102 includes the source region 110, the drain region 111, LDD regions112 between the source/drain region, and a set of the STI regions 104adjacent to the source/drain region. The gate structure 200 overlies thesubstrate 102 between the source region 110 and the drain region 111. Tobe more specific, the gate structure 200 is formed over the substrate102 between two LDD regions 112.

In some embodiments, the doped spacer 220 overlies the sidewall of thegate stack 210 and the substrate 102 between the two STI regions 104.Since that both the doped spacer 220 the doped oxide layer 300 and canserve as the dopant donor, and that the dielectric function of the dopedgate oxide layer 215 can substitute for the dielectric function of thedoped oxide layer 300, the doped oxide layer 300 becomes optional. Toput it differently, the doping function of the doped oxide layer 300 maybe replaced by the doped spacer 220 once the doped spacer 220 overliesthe substrate 102, and thus the doped oxide layer 300 may be optional.To put it differently, in some other embodiments, the semiconductordevice 100 does not include the doped oxide layer 300, and the dopedspacer 220 overlies both the sidewall of the gate stack 210 and thesurface of substrate 102. (See FIG. 3).

Referring next to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a process flow diagram offorming a semiconductor device in accordance with some embodiments. Informing the semiconductor-device 100, a substrate 102 with a sourceregion 110 and a drain region 111 therein is provided, and a procedure402 of forming an oxide layer 300′ overlying the substrate 102 isperformed. After appropriate removal of a portion of the oxide layer300′, a first gate stack 211 can be formed over the substrate 102between the source region 110 and a drain region 111, and a spacer 220′can be formed over a sidewall of the first gate stack 211, both of whichare included in the procedure 404.

In various embodiments, after the formation of the oxide layer 300′, thefirst gate stack 211, and the spacer 220′, the procedure 406 of dopingthe oxide layer 300′ and the spacer 220′ is then carried out totransform the oxide layer 300′ and the spacer 220′ into the dopantdonor. After the doping process, the procedure 408 of forming a WFMstack 212′ as the dopant acceptor is performed. Then, the procedure 410of a thermal treatment to the doped oxide layer 300 and the doped spacer220 is operated to drive the solid-phase diffusion (SPD) of dopants fromthe doped oxide layer 300 and the doped spacer 220 to the WFM stack212′. Following the thermal diffusion process is the procedure 412 offorming a metal gate electrode 216 overlying the doped WFM stack 212 toform a second gate stack.

With Reference to FIG. 5A, a substrate 102 with a source region 110, adrain region 111, a pair of lightly doped source/drain (LDD) regions 112adjacent to the inner sidewall of the source region 110 and the drainregion 111, and a pair of shallow trench isolation (STI) regionsadjacent to the outer sidewall of the source region 110 and the drainregion 111 is provided. The first step of forming thesemiconductor-device 100 is to form an oxide layer 300′ over thesubstrate 102. The forming methods includes chemical vapor deposition(CVD), plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD), atomic-layer CVD (ALCVD),low-pressure CVD (LPCVD), any other appropriate deposition methods andcombinations thereof.

Referring next to FIG. 5B, the oxide layer 300′ may undergophotolithography to etch away a portion of the oxide layer 300′overlying the substrate 102 between the source region 110 and the drainregion 111 and leave a space for the first gate stack 211 to be formedon the substrate 102 between the source region 110 and the drain region111. The photolithography may include forming a photoresist layer (notshown) over the oxide layer 300′, mask aligning, patterning thephotoresist layer by exposure, and developing the pattern to form aphotoresist mask. The photoresist mask is used as a protection of theoxide layer 300′ while etching is performed to remove the portion of theoxide layer 300′ overlying the substrate 102 between the source region110 and the drain region 111.

After etching of the oxide layer 300′, the portion of substrate 102between the source region 110 and the drain region 111 is exposed, wherethe first gate stack 211 can be formed. The first gate stack 211 canalso be referred to as the dummy gate stack, which can be made ofmaterials such as polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si), poly-crystallinesilicon germanium (poly-SiGe), silicon nitride (SiN), and combinationsthereof. Following the formation of the first gate stack 211, a spacer220′ may be formed along a sidewall of the first gate stack 211 andoverlies the surface of the oxide layer 300′. The forming methodsincludes chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD),atomic-layer CVD (ALCVD), low-pressure CVD (LPCVD), any otherappropriate deposition methods and combinations thereof.

Referring next to FIG. 5C, the spacer 220′ may be doped with a dopantsuch as boron (B) or arsenic (As) at the concentration of about 5×10²⁰atoms/cm³ to about 5×10²¹ atoms/cm³ to form a doped spacer 220 and serveas a dopant donor to the WFM stack. The spacer 220′ can be doped by anyappropriate doping methods including the in-situ doping by the atomiclayer deposition (ALD), or ex-situ doping by the plasma deposition orion metal plasma (IMP) deposition.

In some embodiments, the oxide layer 300′ may be doped with a dopantsuch as boron (B) or arsenic (As) at the concentration of about 5×10²⁰atoms/cm³ to about 5×10²¹ atoms/cm³ to form a doped spacer 220 as adopant donor to the WFM stack. The oxide layer 300′ can be doped by anyappropriate doping methods including ex-situ doping by the plasmadeposition or ion metal plasma (IMP) deposition.

With reference to FIG. 5D, the first gate stack 211 may be removed toexpose the substrate between the S/D regions and facilitate theformation of a WFM stack 212′ on the exposed surface of the substrate.Prior to forming the WFM stack 212′, an epitaxy process, or an epitaxialgrowth procedure, is carried out to promote the formation of anamorphous gate oxide layer 215′. With a high dielectric constant, or adielectric constant higher than 3.9, the gate oxide layer 215′ serves asan inter-layer dielectric material to modulate the effective workfunction of the WFM stack. In various embodiments, a WFM stack 212′ isformed on the gate oxide layer 215′ by first depositing a TiSiN layer214′, followed by depositing a TiN layer 213′ on the TiSiN layer 214′.

Referring next to FIG. 5E, the doping of the WFM stack 212′ and the gateoxide layer 215′ is performed by a thermal process. The thermal processcan be further divided into two phases: the post-metal annealing (PMA)and the post-cap annealing (PCA). The post-metal annealing (PMA) iscarried out directly after the formation of the WFM stack 212′ tofacilitate the solid-phase diffusion of dopants from the doped spacer220 and the doped oxide layer 300 into the TiN layer 213′ of the WFMstack 212′. In various embodiments, the post-metal annealing (PMA) isperformed at a temperature of about 750° C. to about 900° C. for about 1second to about 30 seconds to rapidly drive dopants into the WFM stack212′ while preventing undesirable out-diffusion of dopants from LDDregions 112.

After the PMA, a dummy gate electrode usually made of poly-Si, alsoreferred to as a Si cap (not shown), may be deposited onto the TiN layer213′ for further thermal process. In some embodiments, the post-capannealing (PCA) is subsequently carried out after forming the Si cap tofurther drive the dopants from the doped spacer 220 and the doped oxidelayer 300 into both the TiN layer 213′ and the TiSiN layer 214′. Invarious embodiments, the post-cap annealing (PCA) is performed at atemperature of about 800° C. to about 1000° C. for about 1 second toabout 10 seconds to rapidly drive dopants into the WFM stack 212′ whilepreventing undesirable out-diffusion of dopants from other regions.

The session of the PMA and PCA not only forms a doped WFM stack 212including a doped TiN layer 213 and a doped TiSiN layer 214, but alsoform a doped gate oxide layer 215 underlying the doped WFM stack 212.After the formation of the doped WFM stack 212, the Si cap may beremoved to expose the top surface of the doped WFM stack 212.

With reference to FIG. 5F, after the removal of the Si cap viaappropriate method such as the reactive ion etching (RIE) or thehigh-density plasma (HDP) etching, a metal gate electrode 216 can bedeposited on the doped TiN layer 213 to form a second gate stack, alsoreferred to as the gate stack 210, which is part of the high-k/metalgate structure. In some embodiments, by replacing the Si cap with themetal gate electrode 216, improvement can be achieved in the workfunction of the doped WFM stack 212 as well as the coordination amongthe doped WFM stack 212, the metal gate electrode 216, and the dopedgate oxide layer 300.

According to the above statements and various embodiments, utilizing thedoped spacer 220 and the doped oxide layer 300 to thermally dope the WFMstack 212′, while at the same time adopting the high-k gate oxide layer215′ and the metal gate electrode 216, can fine-tune the thresholdvoltage of the gate structure 200, reduce the leakage currents arisingfrom the short channel effect, and enhance the performance along withhigh-density integration of the semiconductor device 100.

In accordance with some embodiments, a gate structure 200 includes agate stack 210 and a doped spacer 220 overlying a sidewall of the gatestack 210. The gate stack 210 contains a doped work function metal (WFM)stack 212 and a metal gate electrode 216 overlying the doped WFM stack212.

In accordance with some embodiments, a semiconductor device 100 includesa substrate 102, a gate stack 210, a doped spacer 220, and a doped oxidelayer 300. The substrate 102 has a source region 110 and a drain region111, and a gate stack 210 overlying the substrate 102 between the sourceregion 110 and the drain region 111. The gate stack 210 includes a dopedgate oxide layer 215, a doped work function metal (WFM) stack 212overlying the doped gate oxide layer 215, and a metal gate electrode 216overlying the doped WFM stack 212. The doped oxide layer 300 overliesthe surface of the substrate 102. The doped spacer 220 overlying thedoped oxide layer 300 and a sidewall of the gate stack 210.

In accordance with some embodiments, a method of forming a semiconductordevice 100 includes forming an oxide layer 300′ overlying a substrate102 with a source region 110 and a drain region 111 (procedure 402),forming a first gate stack 211 and a spacer 220′(procedure 404), dopingthe oxide layer 300′ and the spacer 220′ to form a doped oxide layer 300and a doped spacer 220 (procedure 406), forming a work function metal(WFM) stack 212′ overlying the substrate 102 between the doped spacers220 (procedure 408), thermally treating the doped spacer 220 and thedoped oxide layer 300 to form a doped WFM stack 212 (procedure 410), andforming a metal gate electrode 216 overlying the doped WFM stack 212 toform a second gate stack 210 (procedure 412). In the procedure 404 offorming a first gate stack 211 and a spacer 220′, the first gate stack211 overlies the substrate 102 between the source region 110 and thedrain region 111, and the spacer 220′ overlies a sidewall of the firstgate stack 211.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

1. A gate structure comprising: a gate stack comprising: a doped workfunction metal (WFM) stack; and a metal gate electrode overlying thedoped WFM stack; and a doped spacer overlying a sidewall of the gatestack.
 2. The gate structure of claim 1, wherein the doped WFM stack isdoped with boron (B) or arsenic (As).
 3. The gate structure of claim 1,wherein the doped spacer is doped at a concentration of about 5×10²⁰atoms/cm³ to about 5×10²¹ atoms/cm³.
 4. The gate structure of claim 1,wherein the doped WFM stack comprises a doped TiSiN layer and a dopedTiN layer overlying the doped TiSiN layer.
 5. The gate structure ofclaim 4, wherein the gate stack comprises a doped gate oxide layerunderlying the doped TiSiN layer, and the doped gate oxide layer and thedoped TiSiN layer are amorphous.
 6. The gate structure of claim 1,wherein the doped spacer is silicon nitride (SiN), silicon oxynitride(SiON), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon oxycarbide (SiOC), silicon carbonoxynitride (SiCON), silicon oxyfluoride (SiOF), or a combinationthereof.
 7. The gate structure of claim 1, wherein the metal gateelectrode is Cu, Al, Ni, Co, Nb, Ta, TaN, TaC, W, WN, WC, or acombination thereof.
 8. A semiconductor device comprising: a substratewith a source region and a drain region; a gate stack overlying thesubstrate between the source region and the drain region, comprising: adoped gate oxide layer; a doped work function metal (WFM) stackoverlying the doped gate oxide layer; and a metal gate electrodeoverlying the doped WFM stack; a doped oxide layer overlying a surfaceof the substrate; and a doped spacer overlying the doped oxide layer anda sidewall of the gate stack.
 9. The semiconductor device of claim 8,wherein the doped WFM stack, the doped spacer, and the doped oxide layerare boron-doped.
 10. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein thedoped WFM stack, the doped spacer, and the doped oxide layer arearsenic-doped.
 11. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein thesubstrate is a raised fin structure crossed over by the gate stack. 12.The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the doped oxide layer isaluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅),titanium oxide (TiO₂), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), silicon dioxide (SiO₂),zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), or a combination thereof.
 13. The semiconductordevice of claim 8, wherein the doped spacer overlies only the sidewallof the gate stack and a portion of the doped oxide layer adjacent to thesidewall of the gate stack. 14-20. (canceled)
 21. The semiconductordevice of claim 8, wherein the doped WFM stack is doped with boron (B)or arsenic (As).
 22. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein thedoped spacer is doped at a concentration of about 5×10²⁰ atoms/cm³ toabout 5×10²¹ atoms/cm³.
 23. The semiconductor device of claim 8, whereinthe doped WFM stack comprises a doped TiSiN layer and a doped TiN layeroverlying the doped TiSiN layer.
 24. A gate structure comprising: a gatestack comprising: a doped work function metal (WFM) layer; and a metalgate electrode overlying the doped WFM layer; a doped oxide layerdisposed on a portion of a sidewall of the gate stack; and a spacerdisposed on the doped oxide layer and a remaining portion of thesidewall of the gate stack.
 25. The gate structure of claim 24, whereinthe doped oxide layer and the doped WFM layer have the same dopant. 26.The gate structure of claim 24, wherein the doped WFM layer has a dopantconcentration lower than a dopant concentration of the spacer.
 27. Thegate structure of claim 24, wherein the spacer blankets the doped oxidelayer.